NASA's SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions Launched Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 on March 11, 2025

On March 11, 2025, at 8:10 p.m. PT, SpaceX launched NASA's Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) Observatory and the Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The SPHEREx Observatory will map the entire sky in 102 different infrared colors over two years, collecting data on over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars. This data aims to enhance understanding of the universe's evolution and search for water and organic molecules. The PUNCH mission, comprising four satellites, will study the Sun's outer atmosphere and solar wind using specialized cameras to measure polarized light, determining the three-dimensional position and speed of the solar wind. This information is crucial for predicting the impact of space weather on Earth. The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched NROL-126 and Transporter-12 and will land on Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base.